Nicole Simon (Harvard University) and Maya Kaul (University of Pennsylvania) join Research Minutes host Luc Siguad to highlight findings from their paper, "Leading from the Middle: How Principals Rely on District Guidance and Organizational Conditions in Times of Crisis." The paper focuses on principal leadership throughout the pandemic and the challenges faced by schools. Simon and Kaul are joined by two New York principals ..read more

In a new study, researchers found that a suite of digital games and videos centered on "The Cat in the Hat" had meaningful impacts on young children's knowledge of - and engagement with - science and engineering concepts. Study coauthors Todd Grindal (SRI International) and Megan Silander (EDC) join CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss their team's findings, and some important implications for early childhood education, policy and future research ..read more

More than 100,000 public schools across the U.S. have closed their doors as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, spurring an unprecedented shift to online education. Millions of instructors and students - from kindergarten through college - are now teaching and learning at home. And many are doing so for the first time. We sit down with Nada Dabbagh, George Mason University professor and coauthor of the 2019 book “Meaningful Online Learning: Integrating Strategies, Activities, and Learning Technologies for Effective Designs.” Dabbagh offers some research-backed strategies for effective online te ..read more

Can homeschooling research provide some guidance for the millions of American families impacted by school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic? We talk with Robert Kunzman, Martha Lee and Bill Armstrong Chair for Teacher Education at Indiana University Bloomington and managing director of the International Center for Home Education Research. Kunzman shares insights from more than 15 years of research into homeschooling practice and policy, and offers some evidence-based strategies for families hoping to maintain a quality educational experience at home ..read more

On the 100th episode of Research Minutes, renowned researchers Jennifer O’Day and Marshall “Mike” Smith join CPRE Director Jonathan Supovitz to discuss an ambitious vision of the future of American education. Drawing on their new book “Opportunity for All,” Smith and O’Day discuss decades of research into educational inequality and the failures of past efforts aimed at addressing it. They also present a research-backed framework to promote quality – and equality – in schools across the country ..read more

Researchers have found that teacher turnover costs U.S. schools billions of dollars each year. Significantly less is known, however, about its impacts on teaching quality and staff composition. A new study of those "hidden costs," coauthored by the University at Albany’s Lucy Sorensen and Duke University’s Helen Ladd, finds that turnover can have significant and lasting negative impacts on instructional staff quality and student achievement. Sorensen joins CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss the study and some important takeaways for education policy and future resear ..read more

A new study of thousands of American families examined the relationship between teacher race, ethnicity and parental engagement in Head Start early childhood programs. The study, coauthored by UCLA's Anna Markowitz, found that race and ethnicity matching between teachers and parents can lead to notable impacts on parental involvement, workshop attendance and even student absenteeism. Markowitz joins CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss those findings and some important implications for policymakers, practitioners and families across the country ..read more

In a new study, researchers examined the accuracy and consistency of grades and test scores in measuring a high school student’s academic readiness for the college. The study, coauthored by the University of Chicago’s Elaine Allensworth, found that students with the same GPA or ACT score can complete college at significantly different rates, depending on the high school they attended. Allensworth joins CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss those and other findings, and some important implications for education policy and future research ..read more

Plans for reopening schools and businesses in the wake of COVID-19 all hinge, in part, on the availability of safe child care options for millions of American families. A recent impact study in Pennsylvania, however, found that hundreds of child care providers face permanent closure as a result of the pandemic. The study, led by Phil Sirinides, director of the Institute of State and Regional Affairs at Penn State Harrisburg, found that many providers spent all available cash to stay afloat during the prolonged shutdown, and are now struggling to reopen as a result of reduced enrollment and inc ..read more

Early results from a nationwide survey of district and charter school network leaders highlight successful approaches used in schools this spring and a number of common concerns for the fall and beyond. The results, published in a brief by the American Institutes for Research (AIR), include promising strategies for improving student access, fostering engagement, addressing socioemotional needs and supporting students with disabilities. AIR Senior Researcher Dia Jackson discusses the brief and AIR's research into other district and charter network responses in the wake of the pandemic, which wi ..read more